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VIDEO: Rooney Scores England's 5th

  • September 9, 2009

Scott Patterson

Scott is the editor of RoM and has a season ticket at Old Trafford. He writes for The Mirror, Paddy Power and Red News. He started The Republik of Mancunia in March 2006. Follow @R_o_M on Twitter.

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57 Comments

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trevor September 10, 2009
Lads,

With regards to England i seem to be missing something. My mats have been over the moon today and singing the teams praises. Yes we got a 5-1 victory but im still not overly convinced!

What i am not really overjoyed about

1 Passing & Approach play

Englands Style of Play for me is poor! They do play simular to Liverpool if you ask me, few passes and look for the direct pass!. When you watch United, Chelsea & Arsenal play there is more off the ball running. If a player has the ball looking to pass there is 2 or 3 people looking to make themselves available. For some reason in the england team this doesnt happen enough. We played Slovacia (however Spelt) their passing and quick movement was better to be honest! ... Fergie always raves about speeding things up, Moving the ball quicker... Why at international level do we not play a simular style to our top premiership clubs is beyond me!

2 - Stevie G playing Left Midfield.... I am sorry but for me this wont work against the big teams! Last night i watched as Gerrard was exchanging short passes on the right wing with lennon and im thinking, What the fuck are you doing over there son! I look for lampard and he is just behind rooney in the centre.. Barry is just behind Gerrard!...... Left midfield totaly exposed!.. Maybe Capello thinks Ashly cole can defend better than we all know!!!......... For me Top teams will rip us appart if we contiue like this!.. It worked last night but i dont think its the answer!

3 Emile Hesky! - I think Emile Hesky is only in the team due to the formation Capello is adopting. This pas short to the defenders then a direct pass to hesky. It doesnt look Effective to me.. Every time one is played i never have the feeling that its dangerous! I never get the feeling that we are going to score from it!.> Maybe against the weaker teams the odd mistake will happen, But would you expect Mistakes from Quality Centre Halfs? if any team played that kind of game against Rio & Terry, Rio & Vidic, Terry Carvalio... They would be happy all day! With regards to hesky i think Carlton Cole is a better alternative or That Aston Villa Chap. Agbundlwhore or something!


4 - Lampard & Gerrard! Together!... i think these 2 cant play in the same team! I respect both as profesional players and quality players. Some united fans dont like Gerrard but if he signed for us he would be immence!.... That kind of quality can not be ignored!.... For me the counter each other out, They make the same runs, they both need the ball in the same position on the pitch to play their natural game and i think they struggle with it!...... For me its one or the other, with a holding midfielder!

5 - Johnson - Some people are raving about him! I fail to see what he is about, Yes he is ok going forwrad, Good craft for the assist but by christ he didnt look too great defending... I am a massive Gary Nevile fan! I think Nev has been out for so long some really have forgotten how good he actualy is!... I can remember Nev was injured and the Mighty Jamie Carragher played right back!... He played ok, but he wasnt as good as Nev!... Brown has filled in well, but same again he aint Gary Nev!........ I know some are going to jump and say he is finished, For me i think if we can get him fit he will be good for us this year!... If he gets fit, pay attention to how often he gets caught out defensivly!... Pay attention to how good his crosses are.. Pay attention at how good his passing is!

I know its all about the players abilty, but we need to up the pace a bit, Id love to see the following changes,


Last nights game i would have had the following formation ( i have picked Johnson as i dont think Brown is totaly fit!!)

Green

Johnson - Terry - Upson - Cole

Lennon - Barry - Lampard - Milner

Rooney
Agbonglawhore! HAHAHa

I like Milner, He is tidy on the ball and always on the move. He work rate is awsome & his passing tidy! Puts in a mean cross as well! I would have our passing quicker as well, More on the ground with Milner and Lennon looking for the ball at every oppertunity... I would also have the attacking line futher up the pitch helping to push them back a little... Force rooney to stay in the middle and not come back behind the half way line!!


WEll this is my arm chair rant!... I have certainly raised a few eyebrows with my rant today in work but thats what lifes about!!! hahaah
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denton davey September 10, 2009
King Eric @ 18:53 In answer to your question, I was born in Denton (actually Didsbury was where the maternity clinic was located) in 1946. The next year, I was taken to Canada and grew up in Vancouver where I lived until 1970. From that time through 1975 I lived in Cambridge, where I did a doctorate. Then, in 1975, I moved to Toronto and have lived here since then.

More interesting than the personal history, is the fact that my "Manchester consciousness" was awakened in 1958 and ever since I have followed TheLads although it was only in the 1970s - when I was living in England and able to watch MOTD and attend some matches in London - that I was confirmed in my tribalism. Then, when I returned to Canada there was an almost-complete news blackout until the advent of satellite television. From that time, in the later middle 1990s, it has been possible to see live broadcasts of almost all of UTD's matches - for free or for a small additional charge to my digital package.

Compared to my cousin in M/C, I have a luxury package - and much, much cheaper too. Games which aren't televised on FoxSportsWorld, Setanta, GolTV, or other channels are usually available at the local watering hole ("Scallywags" on St Clair Avenue) and are usually free for viewing.

Given my age - and the free time I have now that I am semi-retired and have no child-care duties - I watch as many UTD games as I can. I don't bother watching repeats because once the game is over, it's over.

Scott's blog is something of a god-send - no name calling and some seriously interesting discussion, too. It's not quite as good as being there but I am hoping that in 2011, I can make a pilgrimage to Old Trafford and maybe even get a seat in the Stretford End. If only Georgie Best was playing !
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King Eric September 10, 2009
denton - thank you very much for your "potted" life history. Wow I didn't envisage you would be 62/63 although I could tell from your posts you certainly weren't a " post 99" fan! I was just interested that's all, as without sounding creepy I enjoy reading your posts. You have mentioned Toronto a few times hence the reason I asked.
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King Eric September 10, 2009
denton - Interesting to read that you "don't bother watching repeats". I am quite the opposite, I am glued to all the classics on MUTV. When I get home from the games I will then watch a re-run on Football first on Sky Sports One and THEN even watch the highlights on MOTD! For some reason I like to hear how different commentators report on the game even though most of the time they just anger me.
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NorwichRed September 11, 2009
@ Denton - You have some interesting views and a cracking history but we're gonna have to disagree about Rooney. To me he was a god walking amongst men, and lummoxes like heskey. Just look at the way he delayed that cross for the 4th goal until the last possible millisecond before playing it over the top of everyone into gerards path. (who else saw that ball?) And the balls he was playing into lennon in the first 20 mins that piled the pressure on their defence and dictated the pace of the game. Voonderbar!
I cant fuckin wait until he's unleashed against spurs. (rubs hands gleefully.)
and Trevor... Spot on mate!
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wazza (Bezi) September 11, 2009
@denton davey : good to hear that from you. your posts are always top notch.
you and Giles are like similar ages. i guess even one more on RoM is in the same age bracket. not getting his name.
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denton davey September 11, 2009
NorwichRed - I agree about Rooney's pass to Gerrard on the fourth goal. (Also his little one-two with Lennon earlier.) When it happened, it seemed that he had overshot the two attackers in the box and there was a moment when it looked like a terribly overwrought cross but then Gerrard - rather like Martin Peters back in the day - "ghosted" into space and sealed the deal.
But, overall, he had a quiet game. Not as quiet as CR7/9, mind !

I think we'll have to agree to disagree in our assessments about Emile Heskey - to me he is a bigger, kinder version of Nobby Stiles. Not the player you'd imagine - when playing Football Manager or sitting on the throne - to be a key part of the team but when Emile Ivanhoe Heskey plays, Ingerland generally win. Coincidence ? I don't think so - Heskey's considerable presence frees time/space for Rooney and that allows Rooney to do his thing. Heskey's "Bulldozer" also buys time/space for Gerrard coming in from the left and Lennon on the right. Heskey can be compared to some kind of super-gravity force that compacts the defence for the benefit of his team-mates. Hugely under-rated in the role he plays.

I admit that this argument seems almost counter-intuitive - rather like Gilberto Silva's role in cementing Brazil's defence or Burruchaga doing Argentina's dirty work for Maradona, to reach further back in the memory bank - but sometimes the best player isn't necessarily the best man for the job. Heskey's value is what he provides "off the ball" - quite clearly, his value "on the ball" is ludicrously low.

That "Bulldozer" effect is why I have consistently championed Kenwynne Jones as a perfect center forward for TheLads - not because he's a world-class talent but because he would provide that needed blend of size/power/speed/aggression with far more skill. Having someone like Jones playing ahead of Rooney would be an elixir - yet no one would compare Jones' skill-set with Dimitar Berbatov.
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